A first for Edison girls’ volleyball

Mike Sciacca

Edison High girls’ volleyball coach Trent Jackson said his players

recently watched a documentary on the making of “Miracle,� the movie

that chronicled the U.S. men’s hockey team and its defeat of the

all-powerful Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

That viewing session worked wonders.

Taking on four-time champion, tournament favorite and top-ranked

Mater Dei in the CIF-Southern Section Division II-AA girls’

volleyball championship final, Edison turned in a highlight reel of

its own Saturday at Cypress College.

The Chargers looked every bit the No. 1 team as it displayed

tenacity and a ferocious approach in upsetting the Monarchs, 25-23,

14-25, 25-15, 25-21. It was the first Southern Section championship

in girls’ volleyball for Edison, which entered the state

championships this week.

The triumph also was a complete turnaround from a Sept. 30 meeting

between the two schools, when Mater Dei easily rolled to a three-game

sweep.

“To beat Mater Dei is a great accomplishment for these girls,�

Jackson said. “They destroyed us the first time we met, but today,

our girls played very, very well.�

The teams split the first two games Saturday although Mater Dei,

which was making its sixth straight appearance in a division final,

easily won the second game and appeared to be gaining control of the

match.

But the key to Edison’s four-game victory came in the third game

when the Chargers put behind a flat performance to win the third

game, 25-15.

“The difference is that we passed the ball very well,� Jackson

said. “I was very impressed with how well the girls responded after

that loss in the second game. They came out and played very well in

the third game. That, I think, was the difference.�

The Chargers looked in complete control of the match the final two

games. They flew around the court, had a penchant for precise passing

and were able to dig and dump balls with great success.

Colleen Burke led Edison with 15 kills, capped by a powerful spike

in the match-clincher in the fourth game. Kelly Hyder finished with

10 kills and Ashley Collier had eight kills.

Setter Kelly Keating, who missed the Sept. 30 match against Mater

Dei due to an injury, had 23 assists.

Kari Pestolesi and the rest of the Chargers also turned in

outstanding performances.

“We knew coming into the season that we could do something

special,� said Burke, a senior middle blocker. “We had a lot of

starters back from last year’s team that lost in the semis, and we

knew that if we worked real hard, good things would happen. I’m so

happy for this team.�

Edison, which is now 23-6, used a tough preseason schedule as

preparation for what it hoped would be a long run into the CIF-SS

playoffs.

“We played 10 matches in preseason that came against teams who are

now playing in the CIF finals,� said Jackson, whose team went up

against the likes of Mira Costa, Redondo Union, Corona del Mar and El

Dorado in nonleague play. “We also played in the tough Sunset League

that had Los Al, Esperanza and Huntington Beach in the playoffs.

These girls were ready to play once the playoffs arrived.�

Burke, with happy tears welling up in her eyes, summed up winning

a CIF championship best.

“This is such an incredible feeling to beat a team like Mater Dei

that has so much tradition,� she said. “It’s very special to be part

of the first Edison team to win a CIF championship in girls’

volleyball. It doesn’t get any better than this.�